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Volunteers restore North Mesa Elementary’s ‘Little Red Schoolhouse’; district recognizes work
Summary
Community volunteers repainted and began restoration work on the historic Little Red Schoolhouse at North Mesa Elementary; the board recognized volunteers and teachers at the meeting.
The Pueblo County School District 70 board recognized the restoration work on the Little Red Schoolhouse at North Mesa Elementary during its regular meeting.
Jeff Howes described the building’s recent repainting and restoration work and credited volunteer labor, notably a local volunteer identified in the meeting as Mister Ward, who organized a crew and donated materials and time to repaint and repair exterior surfaces. Howes said the structure is over a century old and needed work; volunteers scraped damaged paint and wood and completed a restorative paint job this summer.
Mister Ward accepted the board’s recognition and described his longtime personal connection to the building, recalling first attending North Mesa as a first grader in 1976 and later returning as a parent and grandparent. He said more work remains, noting some wood is in poor condition and additional fundraising would be needed for further repairs.
Former kindergarten teacher (name given in the transcript as Miss Pananzio) and another former teacher who taught kindergarten for 12 years expressed gratitude and described the building as an important community historic site that connects students to local history. Principal John Musil and assistant Lynn Sperry were mentioned by a speaker in thanks for supporting the effort.
The board’s recognition did not include a formal vote; the segment was recorded under the meeting’s “good news” items.
